Sleazy Andrew Sullivan tries to implicate Bill O'Reilly in George Tiller shooting

Posted Sun, May 31, 2009 at 12:30 pm

Abortion doctor George Tiller was killed earlier today in Wichita, Kansas. In response, Andrew Sullivan offers "O'Reilly's Target Shot Dead In Church" [1] in which he tries to lay the blame for the as-yet-unknown killer's actions on Bill OReilly. Showing his intense interest in the truth, he links to and quotes Wikipedia [2]

On Friday, November 3, 2006, Bill O'Reilly featured an exclusive segment on his show, The O'Reilly Factor, saying that he has an "inside source" with official clinic documentation indicating that George Tiller performs late-term abortions to alleviate "temporary depression" in the pregnant woman.[12] According to reporting data provided to the Kansas Board of Healing Arts for the year 1998, all of the post-viable partial-birth (dilation and extraction) abortion procedures performed in Kansas during that year were performed because "the attending physician believe[d] that continuing the pregnancy [would] constitute a substantial and irreversible impairment of the patient's mental function."[13] Tiller responded to O'Reilly's statements by demanding an investigation into the "inside source" through which the information was leaked, suggesting that Phill Kline, then the Kansas Attorney General, was responsible. Kline denied the charge.

Bolding added. He also links to this July 15, 2008 segment from the O'Reilly Factor in which Jesse Watters confronted governor Kathleen Sibelius. The transcript of that is here. They also discussed him in 2007 and 2006, but the latest mention of him on that show appears to have been over ten months ago. And, of course, O'Reilly never advocated violence against him in any way. And, whether it was good journalism or bad journalism, O'Reilly was engaging in journalism in the Wikipedia quote above; Watters was engaged in journalism; and O'Reilly was making perfectly legitimate commentary. And, no doubt in the intervening months there have been dozens of MSM stories about him.

I hesitate to call this the most disreputable thing Sullivan has ever said, partially because I'm not familiar with everything he's said and there might be something worse. However, he never went as far as accusing Sarah Palin of inciting murder, so this might in fact be very close to a low point for Sullivan.

[1] andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/05/a-far-right-assassination.html
[2] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Tiller#The_O.27Reilly_Factor_controversy

Tags: 
bill oreilly
andrew sullivan
obama abortion
jesse watters
kathleen sibelius

Comments

Mary (not verified)

Sun, 05/31/2009 - 22:16

The minute I saw this story I knew that someone would use it to go after O'Reilly. So much for free speech.

query_tool (not verified)

Mon, 06/01/2009 - 18:48

Mary - Given the Tiller assasination, do you think there's still no reason for the DHS to be aware of right wing extremist groups? Not any conservative group, but extremist groups that espose violence to promote their views?

Mary (not verified)

Mon, 06/01/2009 - 20:51

Who espoused violence? By the way, speaking of espousing violence, what are your gang colors?

query_tool (not verified)

Mon, 06/01/2009 - 21:01

Mary - My point is you can draw a direct line between the DHS report you railed against and Scott Roeder, the man suspected of killing George Tiller. He's a prime example of the domestic terrorist threats in the U.S. that are *among* the threats that DHS properly should be assessing.

Fred Dawes (not verified)

Tue, 06/02/2009 - 00:23

just in case most of you don't know this fact, obama sent out little notes to all cops inside the so called USA; the naoes Stated he wanted "names" of any white right wing group or people who disagree with him as president. Do you understand what that means to your freedoms? the reek smell of total monkey dictatorship is really bad to a freedom loving people, but it will become normal in all its evil smell's. By the way the odor is also coming from all the brown and yellow and white shit inside the hall's of power on all levels of government. To me the stink of third world is here hope you who can smell it understand what it means to you.

WhereTheresSmoke (not verified)

Tue, 06/02/2009 - 12:27

Under the auspices of what right-wing extremist group was Scott Roeder operating when he murdered Dr Tiller? When can we expect massive arrests of members of this group for conspiracy to commit murder? Facts, please.

Mary (not verified)

Tue, 06/02/2009 - 14:02

With Qerys logic, why are we still importing muslims?

WhereTheresSmoke (not verified)

Wed, 06/03/2009 - 08:46

We don't have to import them, Mary. We seem to be growing our own, often in prison.

Mary (not verified)

Wed, 06/03/2009 - 15:15

It occurred to me that Bill O'Reilly is defending himself against the lefts accusations of causing Tillers death. Yet when they blatantly attacked Michael Savage he contributed to the smears,rather than defend Savage. What goes around comes around!